Good morning... "Good morning Sue - we are on the same wavelength," she wrote after yesterday's post, Uncertain. Unsettled. Ungrounded. "I read this a few days ago and was reminded of it as I read your reflection - XO." “Are our needs important to God? Yes. But the true purpose of prayer is to commune with the God [...]
Good morning... One line lingers from a poem I shared this week: "Your ache. My ache." After last week's church service, several of us stayed behind to lay hands on Julianna, a 38 year old mom of four who is a committed member of our small group. We spoke intimate blessing over her and her husband, as she [...]
Good morning... I happened upon an interesting quote by Corrie Ten Boom, who, along with her family members, helped many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home. "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" A spare tire is used only in emergencies. Pulled out [...]
Good morning... Audrey DeShelter has lived in my deepest prayers since she was diagnosed with cancer at age five. She is now an amazing young woman, a spectacular student heading into her senior year of high school. Her mom, Jennifer, was in my Bible study at the time Audrey's neuroblastoma was detected, and we have been closely bonded, [...]
Good morning... Yesterday, in the morning, my friend sent me a picture of a page from her well-worn Bible verse flip calendar. Psalm 90:12 (NIV) is brought to life. "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." A quote from Brennan Manning amplifies God's encouragement. "In prayer Jesus slows us down, [...]
Good morning... A few nights back, I texted a friend, "I am up praying for you. Love for your precious family fills my heart. Any specific requests I can prayerfully ponder with you?" A few days later, her response filled my phone. In the middle of the night now, I revisit the text string creating a roadmap for [...]
Good morning... "When we say to people, 'I will pray for you,' we make a very important commitment," observes Henri Nouwen on page 86 of The Way of the Heart. "The sad thing is that this remark often remains nothing but a well-meant expression of concern. But when we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, [...]
Good morning... "Silence guards the inner heat," writes Nouwen on page 45 in The Way of the Heart. "This inner heat is the life of the Holy Spirit within us. Thus, silence is the discipline by which the inner fire of God is tended and kept alive." Nouwen continues: "Diadochus of Photiki offers us a concrete image: 'When [...]
Good morning... This week the Summer Zoom Study group completed our first book, Henri Nouwen's The Way of The Heart. Thoroughly enjoying this read, we discovered several fascinating, new insights. One nugget of nourishment is found on page 63: "The Desert Fathers did not think of solitude as being alone, but as being alone with God. They did [...]
Good morning... After we shared deeply about the pain she was enduring, one friend prayed for another friend over the phone. Capturing the compassion in my journal, I jotted down many of her vulnerable words. Now in the middle of the night I revisit my notes, piecing together this heartfelt prayer. Dear gracious God, Raw and in process, [...]
